The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Web shops yesterday estimated that between 30,000-50,000 Bahamians engage in gambling, as the sector formally launched its anti-addiction initiative.

The Bahamas Gaming Operators Association's (BGOA) Responsible Gaming and Addiction Prevention Programme will be funded by its members as part of a $7.1 million commitment to civic and corporate responsibility.

"Gaming is a form of entertainment, and it should be viewed as such," said the Association's chief executive. "It should be enjoyed as a form of entertainment, and it should only be played against one's budget or allocated disposable income.

"It should never be played against funds allocated for priority spending like one's rent, mortgage, school fees, car payment, grocery bill, insurance, savings and the like." There have been frequent complaints from Family Islands, such as Long Island, that web shop gaming addiction has left some residents unable to pay such bills and put food on the table.

"This marks a red letter day as the start of the Association's formal public relations and messaging campaign to ensure we promote greater awareness, education and advocacy," Mr Major added.

"We will be advocating government to make it easier for family members and/or loved ones to facilitate the exclusion process of persons who may not otherwise seek help or recognise that they may need help.

"In terms of the number of persons who game in the Bahamas, the specific number varies, but if I put it in a range it's probably between 30,000-50,000. We are very mindful of our corporate and social responsibility as an industry to provide a safety net for those persons who may fall prey to abusing this form of entertainment," he continued.

"We believe theirs is a nominal number as it may be purported in the public space. That will be further supported by the research and data that we will be pursuing in the near future to make sure we are able to support exactly what that figure is but, more important, is the fact that we wouldn't want to wait for that. It's important to put the safety net in place now and say that we are doing our part to deal with addiction in general."

Mr Major explained that the programme has already started among the Association's members. "Prior to the Association approaching this collectively as an industry, the individual licencees already had in place a number of responsible gaming initiatives and programmes," he said. "If you look on their websites, each licensee has a responsible gaming programme very visible on their websites."

Mr Major added: "There are self-imposed limits, so if someone determines they want to play a certain amount of dollars a week, that can be put in the system as the limit and that is all they will be allowed to play.

"There's also self-exclusion, where if someone believes they have reached that point where they have to stop then they go on to a self-exclusion list, which can be a year, five years - up to a lifetime. That's already in place.

"That list then goes to the Gaming Board, the regulator, which then has to oversee that list and ensure the veracity of that list is maintained by the licensees. There is signage in the locations and education materials that were always given out."

Mr Major said cost "is no factor". "Whatever the cost is, the Association covers," he added. "That is why we made arrangements to retain the professionals and to expand this programme across the Bahamas. We are simply standardising the process and making it consistent across the industry."

The Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre is assisting the Association's programme, along with psychiatrists Dr Timothy Barrett and Dr David Allen. The BGOA yesterday presented a cheque for $30,000 for the further training of professionals in the anti-addiction fight.

"They will attend several training and seminar workshops in the United States between the months of July and October of this year," said Mr Major